Specifically, when attending the June 7 session of the Italian parliament , MP Gilda Sportiello brought her 2-month-old son Federico with her. During the meeting, Ms. Sportiello sat in the back row and breastfed her baby, while pressing the button to vote on the issues being discussed. She is also the first woman to do this in the Italian parliament, according to Reuters news agency.
MP Gilda Sportiello carrying her baby into the Italian parliament chamber
In Italy, it is not uncommon to see women breastfeeding on trains, in airport lounges and other public places. However, the event marked a change in an Italy where power is predominantly male and women are forced to stop breastfeeding very early to return to work.
"This is the first time, with the support of all parties. Best wishes to Federico," said Giorgio Mule, a member of the Italian Chamber of Deputies who presided over the parliamentary session. "Now we will speak in a lower voice."
Ms Sportiello previously successfully pushed for parliament to pass a rule allowing female lawmakers to vote and debate while caring for their children, until they are 12 months old.
La Repubblica newspaper quoted Ms Sportiello as saying she hoped her pioneering action would inspire all workplaces in Italy to make it easier for mothers to care for their children while at work.
"From today, if Italy's highest institutions allow workers to take care of their children at their workplace, no woman, in any profession, can be denied this right," said Ms Sportiello.
“Too many women are forced to stop breastfeeding prematurely, not because they want to, but because they have to return to work,” says Sportiello.
American breastfeeding mothers now have convenient breastfeeding rooms at every airport.
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